This bill mandates the Attorney General of New Jersey, in collaboration with the New Jersey Education and Law Enforcement Working Group, to create a program that allows the public to anonymously report potential threats to school safety. The program will facilitate anonymous reporting of unsafe, harmful, or criminal activities in schools through various accessible methods, including a telephone tip line and a mobile application. It ensures that the identity of the reporting party remains confidential, except when voluntarily disclosed. The bill also outlines the requirement for prompt forwarding of reported information to relevant law enforcement agencies or school officials, as well as the provision of training and guidelines for appropriate responses to these reports.
Additionally, the Attorney General is tasked with preparing an annual report on the program, detailing the number of reports received, the means of reporting, instances of misuse, and the outcomes of the reports. This report must be submitted to the Governor and the Education Committees of both the Senate and General Assembly, and it should be made available on the Department of Law and Public Safety's website by January 1 of the following year. The program aims to enhance school safety by providing a structured and anonymous way for community members to report threats, similar to Colorado's Safe2Tell initiative.